Apparatus for treating packaged goods.



H. C. SHIPPEE APPARATUS FOR TREATING PACKAGED GOODS.

APPLICATION FlLED JUNE 8,1914.

Patented June 19, 1917.

lawman 4 SHEETSSHEET I.

H. C. SHIPPEE.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING PACKAGED GOODS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 8.1914.

LQEQM 1 Patented June 19, 191?.

H. C. SHIPPEE.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING PACKAGED GOODS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 8. 1914.

I Eatented 11111619, 191?.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

H. C. SHlPPEE. APPARATUS FOR TREATING PACKAGED GOODS.

1 APPLICATION FILED JUNE 8, 914- Q L Qfil i 9 Patented June 19, A917.

4 SHEETSSHEET 4.

A l i Vii/mam apparatus for treating unrrnn snares PATENT carton.

HENRY o. smrrnn, or LOS ANGELES, camronma, ASBIGNOB, .BY MESNE semen-- MENTS, TO ANDEBSON-BABNGROVEB MFG 00., OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, A

CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 19, 1917.

7 Application filed June 8, 1914. Serial No. 843,883.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I HENRY 0. Summer, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Treating Packaged Goods; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying draw in s, which form part of this specification.

his invention is a novel improvement in goods by heat or steam in substantially closed chambers, and has particular reference to means for feeding packages to and discharging them from such chambers without permitting undue waste of steam or heat therefrom. The invention comprises novel means for feed ng packages one by one into-the chamber; also novel means for discharging packages one by one from the chamber; and in combination with such feeding and discharging devices means for moving the packages through the chamber.

The invention will be explained as embodied in a practical apparatus, to enable others to understand and utilize the same; and the claims summarize the essential features and combinations of parts for which protection is desired.

In said drawings: I

Figure l is a plan view of a complete cooking apparatus embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the apparatus partly in section-and enlarged.

Figs. 4 and 5 are longitudinal and transverse sectional views of the feeding devices.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of the discharging devices.

ig. 7 is a transverse sectional view of the discharging devices.

Fig. 8 is a top plan view showing a modification of the discharge operating devices.

Fig. 9 is a detail side view of the discharge devices shown in Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged detail end view of Fig. 9, partly in section.

The invention will be explained as applied to a machine particularly adapted for cooking or processing canned foods, but it should be understood that the use of the term can,

' or cookin machine is simply explanatory and not de nitive of the invention; and that the invention is adapted for use in connection wlth a variety of machines for treating various kinds of goods, and the feedin or discharging devices may be used for fee ing packages singly to any suitable receiver, and dischargmg them singly from any suitable receiver.

In the drawings 1 designates the tank or chamber which is preferably .in the form of a cylinder and closed at both ends, it being made cylindric for the purpose merely of withstandin internal pressure. This cylind er may be eated either by direct application of heat thereto or by the introduction of steam or hot water therein from any boiler (not shown) connected therewith in" any suitable manner. Within this chamber is located a preferably spiral pathway formed of inverted T-rails 2 supported on cross-bars 2", and lower T-rails 2* attached to cross-bars 2 and below the rails 2 are flat rails 2 supported on cross-bars 2 transversely arranged within the tank. The packages or cans are supported'by adjacent upper bars 2 and travel along the same to the end of the tank and there descend around curved portions of guides 2 onto'the lower bars 2 on which they pass being guided between rails 2 to the entering end of the chamber where they are uided upwardly by curved portions 2 he rails 2, 2', 2 2 form a continuous spiral pathway for the packages, and the construction of the pathway is well known and needs no further description herein. The cans are caused to travel along the pathway by means of pusher bars 3 attached to endless chains 3 running over sprockets 3 mounted on shafts 3 and 3 at opposite ends of the tank. The shaft 3 may be internally mounted within the tank but the shaft 3 may extend therethrough as shown, and this shaft 3 may be driven by means of a worm wheel 3 thereon meshing with a Worm 3 on a counter-shaft 3 which can be driven by any suit-- for movin cans or packages through the chamber. he cans or packages are fed onto the first run or receiving end of the can-way by means of novel feeding devices shown more clearly in Figs. 4 and 5. As-shown, the top of the tank in front of the can-Way is secured in a casing 4 having a preferably horizontal valve chamber 4 in which reciprocates or slides the valve 5. The top of the valve casing is provided with a central inlet opening 4 which may be connected by a chute or trough 4 to a suitable can supplying device (not shown) or cans can be supplied thereto by hand. The bottom of the casing is preferably provided with two outlet openings 4 and 4 which are below the valve at opposite sides of the opening 4. The valve 5 is adapted to be reciprocated in the chamber 4 and is provided with two pockets 5 and 5 which are adapted to alternately register with the feed port 4", and the pocket 5 registers with the port 4 and the pocket 5 only registers with the port 4". The construction is such that as the valve is reciprocated to the left, the pocket 5 receives the can from the port 4 and conveys it to the port 4 and when the pocket 5 is in register with 4, 5 will register With 4 and receive a can therefrom. On the return stroke of the valve pocket 5 takes a can over and discharges it at opening 4 while pocket 5 returns to register with opening 4:". In order to hold the valve 5 closely but yieldably in contact with the bottom plate 4 of the chamber 4, a presser plate 5 is interposed between the top of the valve and the top of the chamber 45* and this plate is pressed down by means of springs 4 in recesses in the plate 4 of the chamber, and it may be adjusted by means of screws 4 attached to the said plate above the springs.

The valve 5 may be guided between lateral bars 5" secured within the chamber 4 to the side walls thereof as shown in Fig. 5; and the valves may be reciprocated by means of a rod 5 attached therethrough and extending out of this chamber through a stuffing box 4 on the end thereof. Said rod may be reciprocated by any suitable means. \Ve prefer to. reciprocate it by the following devices:

Rod 5 is rigidly connected by a bracket 5 to a sliding rod 6, Figs. 1 and 2, slidably mounted in guides 4 on the side of the valve casing. This rod is pivotally connected by pins 6 to a lever 6" which is pivoted at 6 below the rod and is provided with a stud 6 engaging a preferably race cam 6 mounted on the stub shaft 6 which may be operated by a pinion 6 meshing with a gear 6 on the shaft 3; in this way the lever 6 is reciprocated in proper time with the movement of the pusher bars 3 and the operation is such that the valve is reciprocated so as to deliver cans onto the upper runway of the canway as indicated at Fig. 4, and deliver a can at each stroke of the valve.

In order to prevent any possible confusing or clogging of the cans or packages while being fed to the runway the stroke of the feed valve is proportioned and the ports 4, 4: are so located that these ports deliver cans at alternate points on the canway and in such position that they will respectively deliver cans in front of alternate bars, assuming there is a pusher bar for each can delivered to the canway; thus for example assuming the bars to be numbered 1, 2, 3, and so on consecutively the port 4 will deliver cans in proper position in front of the even-numbered bars and port 4 will deliver cans successively in front of the oddnumbered bars; in this way cans are allowed more time for the feeding from the valve into the chamber than would be possible if they had to all be fed through one inlet opening 4 or 4. Of course the drop of the cans from the chute 4 into the valve is considerably less than the drop of the cans from the valve chamber onto the runway, and this alternate operation of the cans fed to ports 4, 4 allows ample time for the cans in each port to be fed through each port without any liability of clogging.

The cans may be discharged from the canway by means e-nerally similar to the feeding devices. t the end of the canway the cans drop into the mouth of a chute 7 through which they are conducted out of the chamber 1 and into the port 8 of a discharge valve 9 corresponding in general construction to the feed valve 5 and having, as shown a chamber 8 and outlet ports 8, 8 In chamber 8 is a valve 9 corresponding to the valve 5 and having a pocket 9 adapted to alternately communicate with the ports 8 and 8 and a pocket 9 adapted to alternately communicate with ports 8" and 8. Valve 9 may be held down by a plate 9 controlled by springs 8 and bolts 8 similar to valve 5. The valve 9 has a rod 9 extending through a stufling box 8 in the end of the casing 8 which may be connected to means to reciprocate said valve 9 in proper time to discharge cans as fast as they are fed into the machine. It is preferable to have the valves 5 and 9 operate synchronously and in the construction shown, Figs. 1 and 2, the rod 9 may have its outer end connected by a bracket 9 (similar to bracket 5) attached to a rod 9 slidably mounted in bearings on the casing 8; and this rod 9 is provided with a pin 9 engaging a slot 10 in an arm 10 attached to a rock shaft 10 mounted in bearings 10 attached to the adjacent end of the tank 1. On the shaft 10 is an arm 10 which has a slot 10 engaging a pin 6 on a rod 6 connected to a bracket 6 on the rod 6, so that when the rod 6 is moved to actuatethe feed valve, motion is transmitted through the rod 6 lever 10 rock shaft 10, and lever 10 to the discharge valve, and in this way two valves 5 and 9 may be operated. simultaneously and synchronously by one cam, or prime mover.

The cans discharged from the ports 8, 8 may drop onto a conveyer or chute 11, by which they may be directed away to any suitable point.

It will be seen that with this construction the cans are fed successi'vely and rapidly into the chamber, and caused to traverse same and be discharged therefrom; that there will be very little, if any, leakage of steam past the valves except perhaps the little that might escape when the pockets 5 or 5 register with the inlet port 44, or when the pockets 9, 9 register with the outlet port 8*; and as chutes 7 and 4* will be filledwith cans, in the normal operation of the machine, there Will be no appreciable loss of steam at either the inlet or discharge port.

The machines may be constructed to stand any desired pressure, and ordinarily the chamber will be filled with heating fluid above atmospheric pressure; but if it is desired to use it as an exhausting chamber, it could be exhausted below atmospheric pressure.

The apparatus shown and described is particularly designed and adapted for treatmg canned goods at high temperature so as to thoroughly cook the contents of the can, but obviously the feed and discharge devices could be used singly or together in connection with any type of chamber, and to feed any kind of packages thereto.

In the construction shown in Figs. 8 to 10 the discharge valve may be operated similarly to the inlet valve. In this construction the rod 9 is operatively engaged by a lever 16 pivoted at 16 and having a pin 16 engaging a" cam 16 on a shaft 16 driven by a pinion 16 from a gear 16 mounted on a suitable stub-shaft (which may also form the pivot 16") and which gear is driven by a bevel pinion 12 meshing with a similar pinion 12 on a shaft 12 suitably journaled in brackets on the tank, and extending to the forward end ofthe machine where it is provided with a beveled pinion 12 meshing with a beveled pinion 13 on the adjacent end of the shaft 3. Theconstruction is such that the discharge valve will be operated in the manner above described in unison with the feed valve or in proper time to de iver the cans as rapidly as they are fed to the machine.

The construction of the feed and delivery valves is one feature of the invention; and having one main inlet port and two main -outlet ports in each valve chamber so that the cans can be received from a common feeding point and be discharged alternately from a plurality of discharge pomts into such chamber, is another important practical feature.

I claim:

1. Mechanism for the purpose specified. comprising a chamber having a single inlet port and two outlet ports, and a movable member in said chamber having two pockets each ada ted to communicate alternately with the inlet port and with but one of the outlet ports, means for reciprocating such member, and springs for pressing such member yieldingly on its seat.

2. Mechanism for the purpose specified comprising a valve chamber having a single inlet port and two outlet ports, and a reciprocatory valye in said chamber having two pockets each adapted to communicate alter nately with the inlet port and with but one of the outlet ports, a presser plate between the valve and the top of the chamber, and adjustable springs for causing such presser plate to hold the valve yieldingly on its seat.

3. In combination with a valve casing having an inlet port, two outlet ports below and at opposite sides of the inlet port, a reciprocatory slide valve in said casing intermediate said aports "and having two pockets adapted to respectively communicate wlth the inlet port and the adjacent outlet port, and one pocket communicating with the outlet port when the other is in communication with the inlet port; a presser plate interposed between the valve and the top ofthe valve chamber; and springs for causing said presser plate to yieldingly hold the valve on its seat.

4. In combination with a treating chamber, a packageway therein, and an endless series of pushers for moving packages along said packageway; and a feed mechanism having a single inlet and two outlet ports, and means for transferring packages from the inlet alternately to the outlet ports; one outlet port delivering packages in front of the even number pushers and the other outlet port delivering cans in front of the odd number pushers.

5. In combination with a treating chamber and an endless series of pusher bars for moving packages therethrough; of means for feeding packages into said chamber at two separated points so that at one point packages are in front of the even numbered pusher bars and at the other point packages are in front of the odd numbered pusher bars. 6. In combination with a treating chamber, a packageway therein, and an endless series of pusher bars for moving packages along said packageway, and a feed valve having a single inlet and two outlet ports, and means for delivering packages from the inlet alternately to the outlet ports, one as my own, I afiix my signature in presence outlet port deliverlng cans in front of the of two witnesses. even numbered pusher bars, and the other outlet port delivering cans in front of the 5 odd numbered pusher bars, substantially as Witnesses:

described. CHAS. E. RIORDON,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing L. E. WITHAM.

H. o. SHIPPEE. 

